Poetry Days in Liepāja to open with Jānis Akuraters' poetry read by Gundars Āboliņš

On September 10 at 19:00, the "Wiktorija" cultural centre at Graudu iela 36/38 in Liepāja will host the opening of this year's Poetry Days with a literary-musical evening titled "Life's dream is greater than life itself." The event was announced by Evija Timbra, public relations and marketing project manager at the Liepāja Culture Administration.

The evening is dedicated to writer Jānis Akuraters, whose 150th birth anniversary this year offers an occasion to revisit his contribution to Latvian literature. His work reflects both the experience of his era and a deeply personal view of human freedom, choices and inner life. A line from Akuraters, "Life's dream is greater than life itself," was chosen as the motto for this year's Poetry Days and lends its name to the opening evening.

Akuraters' texts read by Gundars Āboliņš

At the opening evening, Akuraters' poetry, personal diary entries and texts by his contemporaries will be interpreted by Gundars Āboliņš, an actor with the New Riga Theatre. His career has been tied to the theatre for several decades, where he has taken on notable roles, including Oblomov in Alvis Hermanis' production. He is also known to wider audiences through film — one of his earliest and still recognizable roles was Uģis in Jānis Streičs' film "Limousine in the Colour of Midsummer Night." He later appeared in other Latvian films, including "A Water Bomb for the Fat Tomcat," "Bille," "Homo Novus" and "Piļsāta pi upis."

Musical accompaniment by a harpist

The evening's musical atmosphere will be created by Dārta Tisenkopfa-Muselli, a harpist with the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, who performs both with the orchestra and in various chamber music projects. The sound of the harp will complement the readings, forming a musical dialogue with the actor's interpretation.

More information about the full Poetry Days programme is available on the Liepāja Culture Administration's website.